The 71st Hunger Games Begin
by Flashsoldier
Summary: 24 Tributes compete to survive. Follow each Tribute in their own personal mission. Fights, adventure, angst and tragedy will haunt their paths. OCs. T for lots and lots of violence and blood and stuff.
1. Chapter 1

Co-written with marinawings

For a prequel to this story or to get more familiar with the characters, read _The 71st Annual Hunger Games. _You don't have to read that first, but it gives a lot more background information on the characters.

**Chapter One**

Liam, District 8's male Tribute, takes a deep breath as the cylinder he is standing on rises upward into the Arena. He savors the taste of the air. It could be one of his last breaths.

Within minutes, the 71st annual Hunger Games will begin.

Liam blinks as his cylinder rises into the light, and he sees that he and the other Tributes are arranged in a circle around the Cornucopia, all dressed in simple black tank tops and leather pants and clunky boots. It's appropriate that they're all in black, Liam reflects with a wry smile. They'll all be dead soon, anyway. All but one.

Liam also notices that they're arranged randomly, no two Tributes from the same District beside each other. The sixteen-year-old scans the circle for his fellow Tribute from District 8, Kylie. He finally spots her. She's standing next to that handsome fellow from District 7, the one the girls all went crazy over-Tristan, with the black hair and blue eyes.

Kylie notices Liam and gives him a quick smile. Her dark eyes are kind, and somehow, she reminds Liam of the girl he likes back home in 8. He thinks this might be the last time he sees Kylie again. In a way, he hopes it is.

Liam turns his eyes back to the Cornucopia, which is located in the middle of a wide patch of barren land. Liam can see trees in the distance. His eyes are drawn to a large canvas backpack near the very edge of the arrangement of supplies. It's close to him, and he thinks he might be able to get to it before the others. As his main skill is tracking, he is not quite as drawn to the variety of weapons strewn across the area.

Liam has never killed anyone or anything. He has never harmed anyone or anything. He works in a spinning factory all day and likes to walk in the woods in the evening. He built a tree-house a few summers back, and last summer, he held Shyra's hand…

The required 60 seconds end abruptly, and Liam's heartbeat skips painfully at the sound of the gong. His instincts kick in, and he runs with all his strength for the canvas pack. He reaches it at the same time as another boy who is perhaps a year or two younger than him-Jerry, from District 3. Jerry's pale, youthful face twists in a grimace, and suddenly, the two boys are engaged in tug of war over the bag.

"Let go, man!" Liam shouts. "I don't want to hurt you!"

He hears shouting and clanging all around him.

"I got here first!" Jerry insists, tugging hard.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Liam tugs hard on the bag. There is a swooshing sound, a thump, then no resistance, and Liam stumbles backward. As he falls, he looks up at Jerry and sees that the younger boy is staring, mouth opened, blood pouring down his face. An arrow protrudes from Jerry's temple. Liam scrambles back, insides twisting with fear, as Jerry collapses to the ground right beside him. He looks up to see the beautiful blond girl from District 1, Sunshine, he thinks, snatching up another arrow.

Sunshine stretches out one lean, strong arm, extending a black bow.

Liam knows he needs to move, knows that next arrow is trained on his heart. In seconds, he'll be as dead as Jerry if he doesn't move. But he can't.

"Oh, God, please." The words fall unbidden from his lips, and his knuckles whiten around the handle of the canvas sack.

All of a sudden, a hand closes around his arm, and he is yanked to his feet.

"Come _on_, Liam!"

Eyes wide, Liam nods and let's his rescuer drag him away from the Cornucopia. He looks over his shoulder to see an arrow embedded in the earth where he had been lying, right beside the body of Jerry, Jerry who is staring at nothing, whose face is stained with his own blood. Sunshine is narrowing her eyes on him and reaching for another arrow.

"_Liam_!" His rescuer yanks hard on his arm.

Liam turns and sees that it is Kylie who has saved him. Her dark hair streams behind her as she drags him toward the nearby woods.

"Thank-thanks!" Liam gasps out as he and Kylie reach the edge of the forest.

"Back here!" Kylie jerks him down behind a wide oak tree, and they kneel beside it.

Liam leans his head against the rough bark. It feels cool on his hot face. He reaches up and rubs his itching eyes. His eyes are wet. _I've been crying!_

"Are you okay?" Kylie asks gently.

Liam wipes his eyes fiercely and nods. He notices that the dark-haired girl is carrying a long, slender weapon. "You found a sword?"

"Yes." Kylie smiles. "My best skill is the sword, you know. I think we're safe for a while."

They peer around the tree trunk. Liam sees fighting in the distance-two people in close combat-but he can't tell who they are. "No one else came this way?"

Kylie shakes her head. "Not yet. They all broke for the larger forest. That way." She points.

"East. There's a larger forest to the east." Liam sighs and leans back against the tree.

Kylie raises and eyebrow. "So you are good with directions?"

"Tracker." Liam grins proudly and pats his chest. "That's about all I'm good for."

"Well you got us a pack." Kylie nods to the backpack.

Liam had forgotten about the canvas bag until now. He looks down at his hands. They're still clenched tight around the strap. He shudders, remembering his fight with Jerry, remembering Jerry's swift end… "That boy… That cheerful kid from 3..."

"I know. I saw." Kylie presses her lips together and is silent for a moment. "That's what happens in the Games, you know."

"At least… At least it was quick," Liam says quietly.

"Yeah. That's about all you can hope for here," she replies.

"Do you think…?" Liam trails off, not sure what to say. He wants to live. He can't imagine dying. But now he doesn't want to think about Kylie dying, either.

A cannon booms.

* * *

><p>Tristan, blue-eyed, 18 and a son of District 7, snatches up the small hatchet he'd had his eyes on as soon as he saw the Cornucopia. Its balance is fairly good, and that's good enough for him. Now he knows he has to get away from the Cornucopia before he is sliced to ribbons. Someone nearby screams, and Tristan turns toward the south-at least, he thinks it's the south-where high grass waves in the breeze.<p>

A blond boy with a spear-Tristan thinks it's the District 11 boy-jumps out in front of him, and Tristan easily shoves the kid aside. He doesn't look back to see how much damage he's done or to see if the boy is tossing the spear. District 11 boy didn't seem to know how to hold one properly.

Tristan hears footsteps alongside him and turns to see the tall girl from his own District beside him-Maryssa, a tall girl with dark blond hair. He makes a face at her. "This is really fun, huh?"

"Nothing better," Maryssa pants, grinning. Her face is flushed.

Tristan and Maryssa had been ordered by their trainer to work together, to use each other as allies. If the Careers could do it, why couldn't they?

Maryssa seems strong and eager-maybe a bit _too _eager, Tristan thinks-to fight, so he doesn't have a problem with calling her an ally for a while. Of course, that will only make things harder if it comes down to the two of them…

Together, they jog deep into the grasslands, leaving the sounds of battle behind them. They reach a large rock and hunker down behind it.

"What did you get?" Tristan asks. He's barely out of breath. He has always been in good shape, made tough by his work as a woodcutter.

"A hatchet, of course, and this." Maryssa holds up a small plastic bag that's painted to match the colors of the forest, a bit darker green than the grassland area. "I'm not sure what's in it."

Tristan takes the bag from her, ignoring her narrowed eyes, and opens it. "Good work. We've got food and clean water." He smiles at her and hands it back. "I got this." He holds up his hatchet.

"Of course." Maryssa stands, slinging the bag over her shoulder. "We should probably swing around to one of the forests now. We're more familiar on that sort of terrain."

Tristan stands beside her and shades his eyes, looking back toward the Cornucopia. No one has ventured this way so far. "There's a small forest west of here. We can head that way."

"Good idea." Maryssa smiles at him and holds out a hand. "Lead the way, Tristan."

"Thanks. I believe I will." Tristan smiles back at her and turns west, and Maryssa falls in behind him. He swings the hatchet in his hand, getting used to the weight and balance of it. He has a feeling he'll have to use it soon.

"Hang on a minute, Tristan."

"What is it?" He starts to turn around.

"No. Stay right there." Maryssa's voice is strangely intense. And then…

Something hard slams into Tristan's back, and pain ripples through his body. He cries out and collapses to his knees, starts to turn, then falls into the grass as a boot shoves him down from behind. He hears laughter from above him.

"That was so easy," comes the voice of his betrayer.

Tristan opens his eyes and sees that his hatchet has fallen about a foot from his outstretched right hand. He reaches for it, but the pain in his back flares up again, and he clenches his teeth to keep from screaming.

Maryssa crouches down beside him and holds her hatchet blade close to his face, slowly wiping off his blood with one finger. She pops her finger in her mouth, then grimaces and jerks it back out. "Yuck! That doesn't taste as good as I thought!"

"Are you crazy?" Tristan hisses, breathing hard through the pain. He coughs and tastes his own blood. He doesn't much like the taste, either. _Did she nick my lung! _"We're supposed to work together! Candell said-"

"I don't care what Candell said," Maryssa snaps. "I'm going to win this, and nothing is going to stop me-not the Careers, not the other worthless Tributes and certainly not some dumb alliance with you. So what if you scored a 9 and I scored a 7? I think I've already proven that I-"

Tristan has had enough of her mouth. Ignoring the agony in his back, he reaches out and grabs hold of her ankle, jerking her off balance. She shrieks as she falls onto her back in the grass, and Tristan moves with as much speed as he can muster, grabbing his fallen hatchet and swinging it in an arc.

With a thunk, the blade slices into Maryssa's chest, cracking into her breastbone. Maryssa screams, eyes wide, jerking off the ground, then falling back down, arms twitching. Tristan drags himself up onto his knees, watching with disgust as Maryssa gasps for breath, the hatchet handle quivering with every heave of her chest. Her eyes stare up at the sky, shocked, and she coughs, then chokes, blood welling up in her mouth.

Tristan winces and looks away. He doesn't want to watch her die… especially since he's killed her. He feels suddenly nauseated and hunches over, clutching his twisting stomach.

"Tristan," Maryssa chokes out.

Tristan looks at her. She has turned her head and fixed her wide, pained eyes on him. Blood spills from her mouth onto the ground.

"Win this… For District… For District 7." She closes her eyes finally, whimpering and gasping. Her body gives a final shudder, then she is still.

Tristan stares in shock for a moment, then turns his head and vomits. When he's finished expelling his body of everything he's eaten in the last day or so, he turns back to Maryssa and grabs hold of the hatchet in her chest. Closing his eyes, he tugs, grimacing at the squishing sound the blade makes as he pulls it out the dead girl's body. He picks up her hatchet as well and takes the bag from her shoulder, slipping it over his own.

Then he stands. For a few seconds, the grasslands around him seem to spin, but he sets his jaw, steels himself and begins walking westward, blood soaking the back of his shirt.

The boom of a cannon echoes across the grasslands.

* * *

><p>As Caspian stood watch for Wren-his fellow Tribute from District 12, as well as the girl he loved-he reflected that it might have been a blessing to have received such low scores from the Gamemakers. The other Tributes have largely left the two dark-haired, gray-eyed District 12 Tributes alone.<p>

Caspian stands beside Wren as she gathers supplies from the Cornucopia. His only weapon is a long knife. The Careers had snagged most of the weapons. He watches as both District 1 Tributes gather at the edge of the Cornucopia with the District 2 Tributes and the boy from District 4, that likable Ian fellow. Caspian wondered if they could have been friends, if not for the Hunger Games…

Caspian frowns. Where is the girl from District 4? Has she been killed? Or is she stalking the District 12 Tributes?

"Caspian?" Wren's soft voice draws his attention.

"It's alright. Keep gathering supplies. See if you can find any fresh water or food or medicine," he tells her.

"I've got a little of all of that."

Caspian turns to her with a smile. He loves this dark, slender girl, with her bright smile and warm heart. He plans to protect her, to keep her safe. And at the end, to take his own life. This dagger should do the job nicely. He wonders if Wren suspects his plans or has similar plans of her own. He doubts it. Wren is sweet, and he loves her, but she is naïve at times.

"Have they even noticed us?" Wren whispers.

"Yes, but I don't think they're worried about us for now," Caspian replies. His attention is drawn to the north, near what appears to be a large forest.

The short, blond girl from District 4 is following closely behind the tall, lanky fellow from District 5, a friendly-seeming young man named Carl. Caspian had talked to him during Training. Behind him, the Career girl is tiptoeing, carrying a net.

Caspian almost shouts a warning, but realizes that to do so would draw attention to him-and more importantly, to Wren. So he watches, sickened, as Carl's doom approaches from behind.

The District 4 girl flings the net forward, spreading it wide. It floats down over Carl, and the Career yanks it, jerking Carl off his feet. The lanky boy tumbles to the ground with a cry of alarm, instantly beginning to struggle. The Career wraps the net tighter around him, and Caspian can hear her laughter from yards away.

The District 4 girl looks toward the other Careers. "Lilly! Come help me with this one!" she calls.

The redheaded girl from District 2, apparently named Lilly, jogs out of the wasteland area and joins the District 4 girl at the edge of the forest. Caspian can see that she is carrying a long knife similar to the one he found. He watches, chilled, as she casually kneels beside the netted Tribute.

"Oh, no. Oh, Carl…" Caspian murmurs.

All of a sudden, a tall, dark-skinned shape bursts from the trees, knocking the District 4 girl to the ground, then turning on Lilly. Caspian sees that it's Gia, Carl's fellow District 5.

Lilly swipes at her with the knife, but Gia is quick and grabs hold of Lilly's wrist. The girls are struggling over the weapon when the boy from District 2, the Tribute with the highest ranking, comes up behind Gia, carrying a spear.

Again, Caspian wants to shout a warning, but he clenches his teeth and watches.

The District 2 boy thrusts his spear in an upward motion, and Gia freezes as it stabs into her back. Lilly jerks her arm back and stands back to watch, laughing.

The District 2 boy twists the spear, and Gia screams. Caspian covers his ears at the terrible sound.

Then the Career boy lifts Gia off the ground. She is still screaming, her feet kicking as they leave the earth. The District 2 Tribute gives the spear a jerk and it slides all the way through Gia's back, bursting through her chest. Her screams end, and she slumps on the spear.

The District 2 boy lowers the spear and kicks Gia off of it, then nods to Lilly, who twirls the knife in her hands. She nods to him, then turns back to the netted Carl, who is shouting and struggling with the net. She kneels beside him as the boy from 2 helps the girl from 4 to her feet. The girl grabs hold of the net again, securing Carl.

Lilly's blade glints in the sunlight, and Carl's struggles become suddenly more violent, something dark squirting into the air above the net. Carl's shouts turned to a gurgle. Lilly and the other Careers laugh triumphantly when Carl's motion abruptly stills. Hailey releases the net, and Carl flops to the ground, still wrapped inside it.

The two Careers shake hands, then walk back toward the Cornucopia.

Caspian backs up and motions to Wren. "We'd better hurry," he tells her quietly.

Wren looks up, gray eyes wide. "What is it?"

"I think-I think I just watched those girls slit Carl's throat. And Gia was stabbed," Caspian says, his voice catching. "We need to get out of here before they see us."

"Oh no! Not Carl and Gia!" Wren's eyes shine with tears.

Caspian gently takes one of the bags she is carrying. "Come on." He links his fingers with hers and they slip off toward the hills to the east.

Two cannons boom.


	2. Chapter 2

** flashsholdier: **Thanks for the reviews, guys! I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

**marinawings: **Yes! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave us a review and let us know what you think. :)

**Chapter Two**

Arlan, female Tribute from District 6, crouches in a large tree, painting her arms and face with mud. She smears it in long streaks on her arms, then dots the mud with bits of leaves. The sun is just beginning to set, and Arlan knows night will be her friend, especially if she can camouflage her pale skin and hair. Her long, thick hair is white blond.

The petite Tribute twists her hair into a quick braid, then daubs mud on it, as well. She managed to snag an empty bottle and a pack of freeze-dried food from the Cornucopia before darting for the woods. For some reason, she mostly wants to stay away from her fellow District 6 Tribute, Taggert. There's something about him that frightens her. His smile is… vicious.

Arlan weaves twigs and leaves into her hair. As she is finishing up her camouflage, she hears twigs cracking from the forest beneath her. She freezes, flattening herself as closely as possible against the trunk of the tree.

A soft rustling nears Arlan's perch, and she looks down slowly to see the girl from District 11-a lanky blonde-moving low to the ground. Arlan searches her memory for the other girl's name. She thinks it's Ryne or Ryan or something like that. With a pang of regret, Arlan realizes that many other Tributes must have done what she did during those first few minutes-grabbed equipment and ran for the large forest to the northeast.

For a moment, Arlan considers calling out to Ryne, if that's what her name is. They're both alike-not so good at combat, better at finding their way around the terrain. With a crooked smile, Arlan reflects that she's doing a better job at staying hidden than Ryne is. But maybe they can help each other. Just as she opens her mouth to call out to the other girl, she stops. Her cover is excellent. Ryne hasn't spotted her. And what if Ryne wanted a fight? What if she weren't so much like Arlan after all?

Arlan allows herself a nearly silent sigh and relaxes against the tree. She decides to wait it out until morning. She'll be more alert then. As she settles herself deeper in the embrace of the tree, she hopes that she will survive until morning.

* * *

><p>Liam and Kylie hurry through the rocky terrain between the smaller forest and a freshwater lake, carrying their packs, which now contained fresh water. Kylie glances back at Liam, who is doing a good job of keeping up with her. He's a good kid, and he'll be a handsome man one day, she thinks, with his brown hair, gray-blue eyes and sweet smile. He's a slim little fellow, but tougher than he looks.<p>

Kylie is glad she promised his parents to look after him.

"This way." She nudges him with her elbow, and they turn a bit to northwest. Kylie spares an eastward glance and is almost surprised not to see any other Tributes battling it out at the edge of the larger forest. She is very surprised to have heard no more cannons. So far, only four Tributes have been killed, mostly at the Cornucopia, she imagines.

Kylie realizes that she doesn't have to lead Liam, doesn't have to show him the way. He's the tracker, after all, but it makes her feel better to look after someone. She hopes he doesn't find her too coddling.

"Do you want us to take turns carrying your sword?" Liam asks as they reach the edge of the small northwest forest.

Kylie shakes her head. "No, but thanks." She shifts the large blade strapped to her back.

Liam carries a small dagger in his belt, and Kylie hopes he never has to use it.

A small shape moving in from the right catches Kylie's eye, and she turns toward it. She starts to speak to Liam but sees that he has drawn his dagger. _Smart kid. _She draws her own sword.

Kylie and Liam slow their jog to a walk, keeping their eyes to the movement between the trees on the right. Soon, a small shape comes into view. To Kylie's relief, the shape turns out to be the tiny, dark-haired girl from District 10.

The girl's eyes widen as she spots Kylie and Liam staring at her, weapons drawn. She stops running and backs up against a tree, pulling a slingshot from her belt and loading it with a small rock. "Don't-don't come any nearer!" she shouts, obviously trying to put more strength in her voice than she has.

Kylie holds her sword out in front of her, confident she can block any rock flung their way by that flimsy slingshot. "If you don't attack us, we won't attack you," she warns.

"She's just a kid," Liam whispers to her.

Kylie smiles wryly. _That's kind of how I see you, Liam. _"Yes. She's the youngest."

"And she's scared," Liam adds.

Kylie glances at him and sees no fear in her companion. She turns back to the District 10 girl and slowly lowers her sword. "Look, maybe we can come to an agreement."

"An agreement?" The younger girl's voice quavers.

"Yes. We can help you, and you can help us. You're good at-good at-" She grimaces, unable to remember the tiny girl's skill.

"Foraging," Liam tells her, keeping his eyes on the District 10 Tribute.

"Foraging," Kylie repeats to the other girl. "Liam here is a good tracker, and I'm pretty good with a sword. We can work together."

"Together?" The sling lowers slightly. "Work together?"

"Yes. Kind of like the Careers do," Kylie explains.

"How do I know I can trust you?" the small girl asks.

Kylie replies by placing her sword on the ground in front of her. Her heart warms when Liam places his dagger beside her sword and spreads his arms wide, taking a step toward the girl from 10.

"We're not going to hurt you," he assures her, his voice calm and soothing. "We don't want to hurt anybody. We got here by chance, same as you." He laughs a bit. "Someone else is probably going to come along and wipe us all out soon, anyway. Might as well team up and work together before that happens, maybe make a few friends before we die. What do you say?" He holds out his hand to the dark-haired girl.

Kylie's breath freezes in her chest. What if the girl decides to shoot him with her slingshot anyway? _It probably won't kill him, but can I pick up my sword and get to them in time before she finishes him off? Does she have another weapon with her? Or a hidden ally? _

Then the small girl steps forward and places one hand in Liam's. With the other, she tosses her slingshot so that it lands on top of Kylie's sword, next to Liam's dagger. She gives both District 8 Tributes a shy smile. "Alright. We can work together."

Liam gives the girl a warm smile. "I'm Liam. And this is Kylie."

"I'm Serena," the young girl tells them.

Kylie sighs in relief and picks up her sword, re-strapping it to her back. "Come on, kids. It's getting dark. We need to get back to our shelter." She feels suddenly like a mother, calling her kids indoors for dinner, but she quickly quashes the feeling. It would lead her to the sorrowful thought that she won't live long enough to ever be a real mother.

* * *

><p>The Careers have gathered at the edge of a lake a couple hundred yards south of the Cornucopia, regrouping and distributing supplies.<p>

Ian, District 4's male Tribute, looks up from his pack and sees District 1's female, Sunshine, stepping to the edge of the water. A soft breeze tugs at her long, golden hair as she looks out over the lake. She's beautiful, Ian thinks. He hoists his pack over one shoulder and slings his net over it, then picks up his trident and moves to stand beside Sunshine.

"So… I saw that first shot you made," Ian tells her. "You're very good with a bow."

"A weapon's a weapon," she tells him nonchalantly. "I've trained in combat all my life."

"You're quick, too," Ian compliments.

"Yes." She glances at him with a slight smile. "And of course, District 4's boy carries a net and trident."

"What can I say? I've got District pride," Ian tells her with a wink.

"Hey! Sunshine!"

Ian and Sunshine turn to see Flash, District 1's boy, waving to them.

"Get yourself and the fisherman over here!" Flash calls. He tosses his head, clearing his eyes of glossy brown bangs. "We're making plans!"

"Fun. Plans." Ian rolls his eyes.

Sunshine smiles at him, and her smile is, yes, like sunshine. "Let's go before we get in trouble. Who knows? They might turn on us and try to kill us here."

"I think we could stop 'em." Ian holds up an arm and flexes his muscles. "But I guess we'll save that for later."

Sunshine starts off toward the others. "I like you, Ian," she calls back to him. "But you'd better be careful."

Ian shrugs, deciding not to puzzle over her words and joins the others around the campfire they've built by the lake.

Sunshine turns to Flash. "So did you stick with the plan?"

Flash nods. "Yeah. I climbed the tallest tree I could find and took a look around this place. I don't think it's the biggest Arena we've seen, and it seems pretty basic. You've got your Cornucopia in the middle, with barren plains around it. There's a small forest to the northwest and a whopping big one to the northeast. I think I spotted some rock formations to the east, too, and there are some big hills that way, too. South of this lake, you've got rocky terrain, hills, maybe caves, and some grasslands to the southeast, maybe some trees that way, too. I think I saw some other lakes to the north, too. And that's about it."

Ian's eyebrows rise. He's impressed-and a bit surprised-with Flash's powers of observation. "Good job, man."

"Thanks." The kid grins and twirls the sword that's never far from his hands.

Ratchet, the big, dark haired guy from District 2, speaks up. "Lilly and I have been talking, and we have a plan."

Ian resists the urge to groan. He doesn't much like the District 2 Tributes. He thinks they're pretty bossy. And they seem more bloodthirsty than most.

"We think most of the other Tributes probably ran for the forests," Ratchet continues. "Others may have headed to some of the other landmarks, looking for cover, because they're all scared of us." He grins.

"We need to make a sweep around the central wasteland, where I'm sure no one remained," Lilly says, stepping forward. Her eyes are hard. "The others are probably gathered around the edges of the Arena. We can pick them off one by one."

"Most of them headed north," Hailey, from Ian's District, speaks up. "I didn't see many people fleeing south."

Lilly nods. "We'll go northeast first, then."

"After camping for the night, of course," Hailey adds. The others agree.

As the other Careers begin setting up their bedrolls, Ian returns to the edge of the lake to see if he can spot-and catch-any fish.

* * *

><p>The sharp pop of twigs cracking awakes Arlan from restless dreams. She starts to sit up quickly, then remembers where she is. She's not in her narrow trundle bed in District 6. She's high up in a tree, in the Arena, waiting for her death.<p>

An orange glow catches Arlan's eye, and she peers through the dark and the trees to see that the District 11 girl, Ryne, has built a campfire.

"No, no, no," Arlan mutters. This could go very badly for Ryne-and for Arlan if Ryne's fire draws much attention. Or it could always set the forest on fire. "Stupid, stupid."

Arlan grits her teeth and carefully crawls to the edge of a sturdy tree branch. She can see that Ryne is hunkered down beside her fire, cooking something, making almost no sound.

Then who-or what?-had Arlan heard moving?

A shadow streaks across the orange glow-a shadow moving up behind Ryne. Arlan watches in horror as a tall, broad-shouldered shape moves to block her view of Ryne. And Ryne continues to cook, unaware.

Something glints in the glow of the firelight-a blade, wrapped in a strong hand.

Arlan clasps her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming a warning.

"Hey!" a male voice shouts. "You! Stand up!"

For a second, Arlan thinks he's talking to her, then she realizes that he means Ryne. She watches as Ryne gasps and stands, spinning around.

"Over there. Stand by that tree," comes the voice, hoarse with some intense emotion.

Arlan recognizes it. It is a voice she has never forgotten-the voice of Taggert, her fellow Tribute from District 6.

* * *

><p>"What's your name?" Taggert hisses at the tall, blond girl. "What's your <em>name<em>?"

"Ryne," she gasps out, backing against the tree like he told her.

Taggert can hardly contain his glee. During Training, he had learned something about himself. He enjoys inflicting violence. There's nothing like breaking things and bashing things and hitting and kicking things. And now, as he grips the dagger in his hand, he decides he's really going to like stabbing things. He's going to win this Hunger Games. And he's going to enjoy it.

"Stand still, Ryne," Taggert commands.

She nods, trembling, tears running down her cheeks and glistening in the light of her foolish campfire.

Taggert can wait no longer. He lunges, thrusting the dagger into the girl's body. It slides perfectly between two of her ribs, low on her right ribcage.

Ryne cries out, body jerking at the sudden impact, and Taggert thrusts the dagger deeper, enjoying the feel of the blade sliding into human flesh. There's a give inside the girl's chest, and Taggert knows he's punctured her lung.

Ryne gasps and coughs, eyes wide and fixed on him, glossed over with pain and shock and fear. She slumps, and the only thing holding her up is the dagger that pierces her. Taggert grins and wraps an arm around her from behind, slowly lowering her to the ground, keeping the dagger buried deep in her chest.

Curious as to what will happen, Taggert twists the dagger.

Ryne screams, her back arching off the ground, serving only to bury the dagger deeper in her body. When she falls back down, she is gasping for breath, her lips turning blue. Taggert yanks the dagger out of her chest, ignoring her grunt of pain, more interested in her blood. He turns the bloody dagger this way and that while Ryne gasps and clutches at the gaping, sucking hole between her ribs.

Taggert runs a finger across the blade, soaking it in Ryne's blood. He looks down at her. "Look at me," he orders.

She continues staring down her body to where she frantically presses her hands, trying uselessly to keep the air inside her ruined lung, the blood inside her punctured body.

"Look at me!" Taggert shouts.

Ryne's wet eyes meet his. Her face is pale.

Taggert leans over her and slowly paints his cheeks with Ryne's blood. He smiles as she sobs. Her weeping makes a terrible sound that he somehow likes. Her sobs are hoarse, accompanied by the whistling and hissing of a punctured lung.

When his cheeks are properly painted for battle, Taggert decides to be merciful. Ryne has suffered enough, and he's getting tired of her wheezing. He takes up the dagger and draws it hard across her throat. He stands and watches as she chokes on her own blood, dying quickly, as she is already weakened by the deep wound to her chest.

Taggert feels stronger than he has ever felt before, and happier, with all this blood on his hands and face. Ryne was easy to kill. He is sure some of the others will be, too. He wishes that Sunshine girl hadn't picked off that Jerry boy so quickly. That would have been a fun and easy kill. He taps his chin thoughtfully. _Hmm… Who should be next?_

* * *

><p>Up in a nearby tree, Arlan presses her hands tightly across her mouth and squeezes her eyes shut. Her body heaves with silent sobs, and tears streak down her cheeks through the mud caked there. She feels deep sorrow for Ryne, who died a bloody, painful death. And she feels massive fear that she will be the next to die such a death at the hands of Taggert.<p>

As the cannon booms for Ryne, Arlan silently curses the Games and the Gamemakers and the Capitol and all the rest. Her anger stills her sobs, and she curls up in the tree and broods. When she falls asleep, her dreams are filled with blood and violence. She wakes once in the night, only to see that Ryne's fire has died. And Taggert is nowhere to be seen.


End file.
